He hadn't meant to upset, but he had. Once they'd finished their meal, he'd jokingly persuaded her to abandon her interrogation into his past indiscretions and perceived failings and tell him more about her, or more precisely her interest in multiple languages. They'd taken their drinks through to the sitting room, where she'd curled up on the settee with her feet under her, and he'd settled himself in an armchair directly facing her, hanging on to her every word with a fascination that had taken him to a time when he'd been younger and bursting with the same enthusiasm. Why on earth he'd been daft enough to introduce Alex into the conversation and ask her how she was coping, he'd immediately regretted. Gone was the bright eyed woman that had stolen his heart, it was as though a cloud had crossed the sun and it was him that put it there.

'God I'm such an idiot, I'm so sorry,' he'd told her as he'd lent forward unsure of what to do, until she'd willingly accepted his handkerchief. After that she'd excused herself and gone to the bathroom and had come back, mercifully with her mask of composure once again in place and him seemingly forgiven. The only questions after that had been hers about Adam Fiona and Wes, which he'd answered with as much information as he could without compromising her, which had coincided with their mutual and somewhat unwanted decision that they needed to call it a night. That he'd kept his hands to himself despite the increasing urge he'd had to ask her if he could kiss her, most especially when she brushed a stray hair off the collar of his jacket when she was bidding him goodnight at the door, with the promise that she'd be in touch with Jane's solicitor and that he needed to talk to Adam about her proposal re Juliet, was in itself a miracle, given how much he knew his feelings for her had developed. But he'd held back. She was fragile and she was hurting and he knew only too well how that felt.

That Ruth hadn't had to drive home she'd been very grateful. She'd closed the door on Harry with feelings that were completely at odds with each other, which had seen her making herself another cup of tea which she taken up to her bedroom. She'd spent her entire adult life, well since she'd joined Alex as a divorce lawyer, determined to steer clear of a deep and meaningful relationship based on what, a reason that seemed so ridiculous now that she'd met Harry, as to be pointless. She was into her thirties for goodness sake, going into the best years of her life Alex had told her, and she'd replied by saying that she was quite content with the odd night out, with a no strings attached arrangement. Then bang, along had come Harry Pearce with his baggage load of problems, which in the space of just over a week, had left her completely at a loss as to how to deal with her warring emotions. If ever there was a contradiction in one person, then it was him. A spy that did what for a living she couldn't possibly imagine and hadn't dared to ask, as opposed to the man who had been so gentle and caring with Jacob and with her when she'd almost fallen to pieces in front of him.

First thing in the morning she'd be capable Ruth again, speaking to Jane's divorce lawyer and asking for a meeting, preferably, but unlikely without both their clients present. What would Jane be like, wasn't a question that she'd ever had to ask herself in the past? How would she and Harry react to seeing each other after such a long time, would he kiss her? She turned over and pummelled her pillow to a pulp, berating herself for the indecisive nature that overtook her reason, when it came to the personal side of her sad unfulfilled self.

'I'm pleased to say that Harry's looking a lot more cheerful this morning,' Malcolm said to Adam, who'd popped his head around the door of the technical suite with a cheerful good morning, before heading for his meeting with his boss.

'Probably a lot to do with your friend Ruth, who I've met by the way, in fact Harry was with her,' said Adam conspiratorially, pulling up a seat, relieved that there was someone else other than Fiona who was over at six that he knew he could trust when it came to discussing what he'd witnessed.

'She's lovely, isn't she?' he said to Adam who was grinning at him from ear to ear, obviously with something more to tell him about Harry's latest meeting with Ruth.

'In a meeting, absolutely not Malcolm, this was on Saturday afternoon on Hampstead Heath and Harry was pushing the pram.'

'Pram?' queried an increasingly confused Malcolm as Adam's grin broadened, telling him that in contrast to popular belief, Harry appeared to be able to enjoy himself and function away from the grid.

'What are you suggesting, that they weren't discussing his divorce?' Malcolm asked him.

'Nothing you need to worry about Malcolm, they'll be fine as long as Juliet doesn't hear about this,' and Malcolm was immediately into the realms of worrying, not only about whether he'd done the right thing by pushing Harry in Ruth's direction, but also about involving Ruth in the ghastly Juliet scenario. She scared the hell out of him and she'd eat Ruth alive if they ever crossed paths, perhaps he ought to ring Ruth and ask her if she was alright or apologise. On the other hand, he wasn't really in the business of interfering, so best leave it to Adam and Harry to deal with it.

Harry appeared to be working which was a good sign Adam thought, as he left Malcolm to his concerns and approached Harry's office, to be greeted by a cheery good morning and a cup of decent coffee that Harry'd brought him from the coffee wagon he visited on his way into work.

'I can't afford to take any chances, so I want you to listen in on my meeting with Juliet,' Harry told him, going on to say that based on a discussion he'd had with Ruth, he'd come to the decision to give Juliet what she wanted, until such a time that he'd had a chance to speak his children, after which he and Adam would take back the reins.

'Are you sure this is going to work Harry, Juliet's not an idiot and she'll not be expecting you to give up without a fight?'

'Which is why I want you as insurance, should she backtrack on any agreement, in which case I'll kill her.'

Adam didn't doubt it, but he'd picked up on Harry's comment that his decision was based on a conversation that he'd had with Ruth and that gave him the opening he'd been hoping for.

'Speaking of Ruth, Wes sent you a message Harry. He said I had to tell you that he liked her,' resulted in a brief softening in Harry's eyes.

'Your son is getting far too big for his boots Adam. Would you please ask young Wesley to keep his opinions to himself, for the moment at least.'

'I'll make sure I tell him,' Adam told his boss, with a barely controlled smile.

As far away from Thames House as possible, had been Harry's only stipulation when he'd rung Juliet and told her that he'd come to a decision and wanted to talk to her. He'd crossed the river and done what for him was virtually unheard of, he'd taken a series of buses until he'd reached Greenwich. How she got there he didn't much care, he wanted this over and done with so that he could get on with his life without forever looking over his shoulder. As he approached the bench where she was sitting, he wondered what it was about her that had ever attracted him, because she certainly didn't now. She'd always been bloody ruthless but then so had he, but he had a humanity and a sense of reason about what he did, with no thought as to the cost to himself, which she'd never had. Self-obsessed to the point of ignoring any advice, no matter where it came from, even more so if he paved the way to her promotion which he was going to do. Still needs must, he had Adam listening in.

'Harry dear you're looking tired,' she said, attempting to reach up and touch his face as he recoiled away from her.

'We're not here to discuss my health Juliet, just for me to tell you that you've got what you wanted. If I'm asked whether I'll back you for the job, then they'll get a resounding yes, but it comes with conditions on your part, which if you break will leave me with only one option and I think we both know what that is?'

'Are you daring to threaten me?'

'Tables turned Juliet because I don't care what happens to me, what I do care about are my children. You dig a very deep hole and bury what happened between us, you stay away from my children and then you can have what you want.'

'What about the lovely Jane?' was below the belt and Adam took a deep breath. He needn't have worried.

'Jane's always known what happened, because I told her Juliet, and as hard as it may be for you to understand, she knew even back then that I loved my children and would never have ignored a call from my son.'

'Well you were always a crap shag Harry, I don't know why I bothered, I bet you can't even get it up now can you?' Had Harry almost rising to the bait, tempted to say go fuck yourself Juliet, until a vision of Ruth's sweet face made him hold back. He was home and dry as far as he was concerned and Juliet could go live in her ivory tower on the sixth floor. He and Adam would deal with her later. Now though, he had no intention of letting her have the final word.

'My memory and my hair may both be reseeding far faster than I would like them to Juliet, but dropping my trousers in a public place to prove that you're wrong, would in all probability get me arrested and in your case Juliet, be a surprise that I doubt at your age you'd be able to cope with,' he told her, walking away with his dignity intact and leaving Adam with a big grin on his face. Harry certainly had some cracking lines, he intended remembering that one.

Ruth was in the middle of preparing her evening meal when the phone rang.

'I've spoken to Juliet,' he told her without introduction and then said that he hoped that he hadn't disturbed her, but he needed to see her.

'No of course not,' she replied, turning off the hob and putting to one side the ingredients for the omelette that she was about to start cooking, wondering if she had sufficient that would allow her to make one large enough for two. She'd spent the best part of ten years managing to avoid kids and a kitchen and in the space of one week, she agreed to have Jacob on a more regular basis and now feed Harry it seemed. Still, after what she perceived to have been her weakness, she'd been longing to see him again and anxiously waiting to hear how things had progressed or not with Juliet. Added to which, having been in contact with Jane's solicitor, she had news for him as well.

'Sorry about dropping in on you like this,' he said, offering her one of the bottles of wine that he'd brought on his way home, partly as a peace offering and partly in the hope that perhaps he might persuade her to visit him at some time sooner rather than later. 'I won't be able to get out of the office tomorrow and well ringing you didn't seem appropriate given the circumstances,' he continued, as he followed her down the hall and into the kitchen for his third meal in as many days.

'You're here again in my house so stop prevaricating Harry. I can't begin to understand what it is you do in your working life, but that's not what's important is it? You obviously wanted to see me and if I hadn't wanted to see you, then I'd have said no.'

But that's not what's important is it? and suddenly it was. Him pursuing a relationship with Ruth was breaking every rule that he'd drummed into his staff over the years, but more than that, she was an innocent that he'd almost dragged into his world that was ravaged by darkness and grief. He'd been distracted by a woman far too young for him, taken his eye off the ball, pulled along on a tide of expectation when he should have known better, and in a moment when all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and hold her, he knew that he had to end it.

'If you lay the table Harry and pour me a glass of that wine, the cutlery and the corkscrew are in there,' she told him, pointing to the drawer next to the sink, 'I'll see if I can cope with rustling up two omelettes that resemble something edible.'

Reigning in his overwhelming urge to ignore what he'd decided and instead step forward and put his arms around her waist and bury his head in her hair, he took a deep breath and then in a voice that didn't belong to him, he spoke.

'Ruth stop, you have to listen to me, we can't do this anymore. As always this is entirely my fault and I'm sorry, but I need to go.

'I have no idea what you're talking about Harry, at least sit down?' she asked him.

'What you said just now, that you couldn't begin to imagine what I do in my working life. You're right you can't and the problem is that I'll never be able to tell you. If we were to continue to see each other it would eventually come between us, I've seen it far too many times. I've been indulging myself Ruth about something that can never happen and for that I'm truly sorry.'

'But that's ridiculous Harry I'm your solicitor,' drifted on a wind of confusion, as the door closed behind him.